STEUBENVILLE — One of the city’s iconic murals, “Tuskegee Airmen ­– The Red Tails,” is going to be restored — but when it’s done, it’s going to look a little different.

The original, completed in 2019, was painted by muralist Claude “Rusty” Baker, a Millersburg native who passed away unexpectedly in April 2023.

Picking up the paintbrush in his stead is Kyle Holbrook, a Pittsburgh native who, like Baker, has traveled the world for art. Holbrook, who is also executive artist for the MLK Mural Project, was in Steubenville last year painting the “Lewis & Clark: Corps of Discovery” mural.

The Steubenville Visitor Center is bringing him back to town to restore Baker’s Tuskegee Airmen ­mural and add a few of his own touches. It honors two hometown heroes — John “Ellis” Edwards and Jerome Edwards, brothers who served as part of the famed Tuskegee Airmen “Red Tail” Squadron in World War II. The mural stands as a tribute to their service and a powerful reminder of the racial barriers the Tuskegee Airmen broke through in a segregated U.S. military.

Holbrook will be working at the Tuskegee mural site, at 421 Washington Street, now through Aug. 8.

“I think Rusty would be extremely pleased,” SVC Director Paul Zuros said. “Rusty was our artist in Steubenville for a lot of years, he did a fantastic job, and I think he would be very happy to see his work being preserved, being enhanced and being kept up. Something as important as the Tuskegee Airmen, he took great pride in this mural and he worked very hard on it. I think he would be very pleased to see the restoration.”

Zuros said the restoration/reimagining is going to cost around $8,700. The funds to pay for it are coming out of the SVC budget, which he said makes perfect sense since the mural project — commissioning and maintaining them — is part of their job.

While the mural isn’t that old — it was dedicated in September 2019 — Zuros said paints can fade and vegetation is always an enemy.

Holbrook said the blue sky of the mural is showing some damage, so he’ll be addressing that, but he said Baker did a great job of layering paint on the cinder block wall of the mural.

“It doesn’t require much restoration because he did several layers of paint that will last decades,” he said.

His redesign will preserve key elements of Baker’s work — including the symbolic brick design and base structure — while reimagining the central imagery to highlight the broader national impact of the Tuskegee Airmen and their enduring legacy in both military history and the Civil Rights Movement.

Holbrook said his goal is to not only preserve a meaningful piece of Steubenville’s public art history, “but also bring the fuller story of the Tuskegee Airmen to life — highlighting their role in both the military and civil rights.”

He said the timing of the update is no accident, pointing out it aligns with “several significant anniversaries and national conversations,” specifically:

• The 80th anniversary of the Tuskegee Airmen’s final WWII combat missions (March 7, 1945), marking the end of their active military deployment and the beginning of their enduring legacy as civil rights pioneers

• The 50th Annual Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. National Convention, taking place August 19-24 in New Orleans, which he describes as a “milestone gathering of descendants, historians, veterans, and community leaders.”

• A renewed national focus on representation, racial equity, and inclusion in public art, including efforts to expand the stories of historically underrepresented groups

He said the redesigned mural will continue to honor the Edwards’ brothers, “while expanding the narrative to recognize the contributions of all Tuskegee Airmen as national icons of resilience, leadership, and transformation.”

He credits Zuros and Mayor Jerry Barilla with making it possible, saying Barilla “has been an active supporter of this mural restoration, recognizing its importance in honoring African American military history and preserving the city’s identity as the ‘City of Murals’.”

Barilla, a longtime advocate for public art, has championed initiatives that bring cultural enrichment, tourism, and historical awareness to the city’s downtown corridor — including past collaborations with muralists and local arts organizations, he said.

He said Zuro has played a key role in coordinating historical resources and offering educational context for the project, adding that his “knowledge of regional history and his commitment to cultural preservation have helped guide the narrative expansion of the Tuskegee Airmen mural.”

He said he’ll be using an iconic photo of the Tuskegee Airmen – one showing the squadron standing in front of one of their red-tailed planes–as his inspiration.

“I worked with Paul and the mayor to decide that,” he said. “It will still have the brothers in front but also showing the whole squadron.”

Holbrook said he sees his assignment as “a collaboration — part restoration, part new.”

“But it’s my first time restoring one of his (Baker’s) murals — he did so many here in Steubenville. He passed away, unexpectedly, so it will be cool to collaborate with him and give hims some shine … I’m collaborating with his work because he’s no longer here. I’m honoring the work he did, the brushstrokes he made.”

The mural unveiling will be July 31 at 11 a.m. It’s free to attend and will feature remarks from Holbrook and community members.

Holbrook and the MLK Mural Project also will partner with local schools, the Steubenville YMCA, and public libraries to facilitate storytelling sessions, art workshops, and conversations about the Tuskegee Airmen’s legacy and the impact of Claude “Rusty” Baker.

“I’m honored to be here,” Holbrook said. “The two brothers, they’re icons from Steubenville. There are a lot of reasons I’m honored and excited about it.”